SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT

Live 22 Jun 2005 version

[Spoken intro:] All right. Hold on, boys! (chuckles) All right. (chuckles) They're trying to take it away already, I'm not done with it yet, hold on! (chuckles) All right. This was a request, I haven't played this on the tour, I'm not, I'm not gonna play it again either, just gonna play it right now. This was, uh, somebody wanted it out back and we need to loosen the whole thing up a bit so I'm gonna try it, (chuckles) I'm gonna do this for you. All right. This is the same piano that Ray Charles wrote What'd I Say on, uh... But it's not the same one, I mean it's like the one. (chuckles) Like, [plays a short snippet of "What'd I Say"] That's the sound. (chuckles) I told you. (chuckles) Now, if only these fingers would behave like Ray's. (chuckles)

Come on, Ray! (chuckles) No, no, uh, I'm cheating, I, I can't accept any applause for that. (chuckles)

Crazy Janey and her mission man were back in the alley tradin' hands
'Long came Wild Billy with his friend G-Man, duded up for Saturday night
Billy slammed on his coaster brakes
Anybody wanna go on up to Greasy Lake?
It's about a mile down on the dark side of route eighty-eight
Got a bottle of rose, let's try it
We'll pick up Hazy Davy and Killer Joe, I'll take you all out to where the gypsy angels grow
Built like light
And they dance like spirits in the night
[laughs]
All night
Well, baby don't know what it do to you
Like a spirit in the night (all night)
All night (all night)
Stand up and let it shoot right through you

Well now, Wild Billy was a crazy cat, and he shook some dust out of his coonskin cap
Said, "Trust some of this, it'll show you where you're at, at least it'll help you really feel it"
By the time we made it up to Greasy Lake, I had my head out the window; Janey's fingers in the cake
I think I really dug her; I was too loose to fake
I said, "I'm hurt," she said, "Honey, let me heal it"
We danced all night to a soul fairy band
She kissed me just right like a lonely angel can
Felt just nice, just as soft as a spirit in the night (all night)
All night (all night)
Oh, baby don't know what it do to you
Like a spirit in the night (all night)
All night (all night)
Stand up and let it shoot right through you

Oh, all right now

Now, the night was bright and the stars threw light on Billy and Davy
Dancin' in the moonlight
They were down near the water in a stone mud fight
Killer Joe gone passed out on the lawn

Well now, Hazy Davy got really hurt, he ran into the lake in just his socks and a shirt
Me and Crazy Janey were makin' love in the dirt, singin' our birthday songs
Janey said, "Little brother, it's time to go"
We closed our eyes and said goodbye
To gypsy angel row, felt just right
Together we moved like spirits in the night (all night)
All night (all night)
Oh, baby don't know what it do to you
Like a spirit in the night (all night)
All night (all night)
Stand up and let it shoot right through
Like a spirit in the night (all night)
All night (all night)
All night
All night
All night
All night
All night

[Spoken outro:] Thank you.

Info

The above lyrics are for the live 22 Jun 2005 performance of SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT at Forum København in Copenhagen, Denmark, during the Devils & Dust Solo Acoustic Tour. The song was played in a solo piano arrangement. This is a small Rhodes electric piano that Springsteen acquired on eBay, as he explained to the audience in the course of the tour. The parts in bold are sung by the crowd.

Ticket stub for the 22 Jun 2005 show at Forum Kobenhavn, Copenhagen, Denmark

Handwritten setlist for the 22 Jun 2005 show at Forum Kobenhavn, Copenhagen, Denmark

Credits

Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help.

Available Versions

List of available versions of SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT on this website:

Page last updated: 22 May 2011